Railway truck snubber



March 13, 1962 Filed March 22, 1957 E. H. BLATTNER RAILWAY TRUCK SNUBBER FIG. 1

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 3

FIG. 2

lnventorf Emil H. Blattner March 13, 1962 E. H. BLATTNER RAILWAY TRUCK SNUBBER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 22, 1957 Inventor: Emil H. Blattner his Attorney March 13, 1962 E. H. BLATTNER 3,024,742

RAILWAY TRUCK SNUBBER Filed March 22, 1957 v s Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 8

FIG. 7

Inventor:

Emil H. Bluttner his Attorney United States Patent Ofilice 3,024,742 Patented Mar. 13, 1962 3,024,742 RAILWAY TRUCK SNUBBER Emil H. Blattner, Williamsville, N.Y., assignor to Symington Wayne Corporation, a corporation of Maryland Filed Mar. 22, 1957. Ser. No. 647,829 11 Claims. (Cl. 105-193) This invention relates to railway truck snubbers and has for its primary object the provision of an improved snubber for snubbing relative movement of a pair of relatively movable members of a railway truck.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved snubber for application between bolster and truck frame members of a locomotive traction truck whereby relative lateral motion of the member is snubbed and such snubbing is unaffected by relative vertical motion of the members.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an improved snubber for application between a bolster and Side frame of a locomotive traction truck wherein a friction surface fixed to one of the bolster and truck frame members and friction shoe means movable with the other member are in constant engagement for uniformly resisting relative lateral motion of the bolster and truck frame.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved snubber for snubbing relative movement of a pair of relatively movable members of a railway truck wherein friction shoes, end-mounted on one of the members and extending through and frictionally engaging a sleeve secured to the other member, are acted on radially and axially by pre-compressed resilient means, thereby enabling the snubber to apply a predetermined resistance to relative movement of the members while automati' cally compensating for wear.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved snubber for snubbing relative movement of a pair of relatively movable members of a railway truck wherein friction shoes, mounted between end brackets secured to one of the side frame and bolster members and extending through and frictionally engaging a sleeve secured to the other of said members, are held tight in their mountings by resilient means acting axially on the shoes to take up any slack due to wear without affecting the resistance imposed by the snubber to lateral motion.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved snubber for snubbing relative movement of a pair of relatively movable members of a railway truck wherein a plurality of cylindrically surfaced friction shoes are end-mounted between brackets secured to one of the relatively movable members and slide in a cylindrical sleeve or barrel secured to the other member with which the shoes are constantly urged into frictional engagement by radially acting spring means, the Shoes being held tight in their mountings only by resilient means acting axially thereon and the snubber imposing a frictional resistance to relative movement determined by its spring means, whereby the snubber is enabled to exert the predetermined resistance to relative movement of said members in one direction, unaffected by wear and by relative movement in any other direction.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved snubber for snubbing the relative movement of a pair of relatively movable members of a railway track wherein friction shoes extending through and frictionally engaging a sleeve secured to one of the members and end-mounted between spaced mountings secured to the other member are yieldably connected to the mountings so as to remain centered relative to the sleeve regardless of the direction of relative movement of said members.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a somewhat schematic side elevational view of a locomotive traction truck to which have been applied a pair of the snubbers of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of the truck of FIGURE 1 with portions broken away and shown in section to more clearly illustrate certain of its details of construction;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the truck of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal sectional view on an enlarged scale of the embodiment of the snubber shown in the preceding figures;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal sectional view on the scale of FIGURE 4 of a second embodiment of the snubber of the present invention;

FIGURE 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along the lines 77 of FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 8 is a longitudinal sectional view on the scale of FIGURES 4 and 6 of a third embodiment of the snubber of the present invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts, the improved snubber of the present invention, while applicable generally for snubbing relative movement of a pair of movable members in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the snubber, is particularly designed for snubbing the relative lateral movement of a bolster and truck frame of a locomotive traction truck. As illustrative of the invention, a pair of the improved snubbers, each designated as 1, have been applied to a locomotive traction truck 2 of a diesel-electric locomotive (not shown).

The illustrated truck 2 has a transom-type truck frame or frame member 3, the sides 4 of which are integrally connected by longitudinally spaced transoms or crossbraces 5 and which is resiliently supported on the journal boxes 6 by supporting spring groups 7 in turn supported on equalizer bars 8 carried by the journal boxes 6. The bolster or bolster member 9 is of H-shape with a leg 10 overlying each of the transoms 5 and a crosspiece 11 connecting the legs and carrying a center plate 12 on which rests the locomotive body (not shown). The bolster 9 is resiliently supported on the frame 3 by resilient means 13, here in the form of rubber pads, one interposed between either end of each of the legs 10 and the underlying portions of the transom 5, the resilient means 13 being of such construction and so arranged as to permit limited lateral motion or movement of the bolster 9 relative to the truck 2.

The function of the snubbers 1 when applied to the truck 2 is to snub the relative lateral movement of the bolster 9 relative to the frame 3. To this end, each snubber is comprised of a sleeve, barrel or housing 14 preferably having a cylindrical bore 15 and secured to or made rigid with one of the bolster and frame members, here to the midportion of one of the legs 10 of the bolster 9, by a mounting bracket 16 integral with or fixed to the sleeve 14. Mounted with its axis substantially horizontally disposed, the sleeve 14 slidably receives in its bore 15 and is frictionaily engaged by friction means in the form of a plurality of preferably cylindrically surfaced counterpart friction shoes or elements 17. These shoes are urged into frictional engagement with the inner annular or cylindrical friction face 18 of the sleeve 14 by a plurality of coil or like springs 19 within and spaced axially or longitudinally of the shoes 17 and each preferably acting radially or transversely on all of the shoes so as to equalize the forces thereon.

In their preferred construction and arrangement, the shoes 17 and radially acting springs 19 are similar to those employed in the snubber disclosed in my Patent No. 2,710,750, issued June 14, 1955, with the minor exception that the friction surfaces 20 of the shoes preferably are formed on wear plates 21 aflixed to the shoes and the major exceptions that the friction means or shoes, together or collectively, extend through the sleeve 14 secured to one of the bolster and frame members, are endmounted on the other member, here the truck frame 3, between or straddled by a pair of laterally spaced end brackets 22 fixed or secured to the frame and are restrained or held against axial movement relative to the end brackets by axially acting resilient means which automatically compensate for any slack or wear in the end mounting. The particular form of the pair of end brackets 22 and the portion of the frame 3 on which it is mounted will depend on the relation between the bolster and the frame member in a particular truck, the objective being to have the end brackets so positioned that their confronting faces 23 will overlap the outer or opposite ends 24 of the shoes 17 in a direction normal to the axis of the sleeve 14 and oppose or restrain movement of the shoes relative to the frame 3 in a direction parallel to that axis or axially of the shoes. The end brackets 22 thus may be angle irons attached in spaced pairs to the outer sides 25 of the transoms 5 as shown in FIGURES 1-3 or, if more convenient and space allows, may be mounted on the upper face 26 of the truck frame 3, a type of mounting for which the bracket of FIGURE 6 is well adapted.

While in all of the illustrated embodiments, the snubber is adapted to snub relative lateral movement of the bolster 9 and frame 3 with a uniformly developed or urtiform force and the shoes 17 in each are adapted to float or move between their end brackets 22 so as to adjust to relative movements, other than lateral, of the bolster and frame without affecting lateral snubbing, the embodiments of FIGURES 4 and 6 are exemplary of applications in which the noise resulting from metal-to-metal contact between relatively movable parts in the end mountings is of no consequence, while in that of FIG- URE 8, the end mountings are cushioned against noise and thus well adapted for passenger car application.

Considering first the embodiment of FIGURE 4, the friction means there shown is comprised of opposed sets 27 of a plurality and preferably three counterpart friction shoes 17 each, the sets extending from opposite ends into the sleeve 14 and being urged apart so as to hold their outer ends 24 against the confronting faces 23 of the end brackets 22 by precompressed resilient or spring means, here in the form of a coil spring 28, acting axially on and interposed between the inner ends 29 of the shoes 17. So as to equalize the bearing of the spring 28 against the shoes 17, it is preferred that the spring react against the inner ends 29 of the shoes through a pair of spring caps 30 each at one end of the spring. Once the snubber of this embodiment is in place, the outer ends 24 of its shoes 17 will bear against the confronting faces 23 of the end brackets 22 and rub or slide thereon to accommodate any relative movement of the bolster 9 and frame 3 in a direction substantially normal to or radial of the sleeve 14 and shoes 17. At the same time, the shoes 17 will be restrained or held by the interposed spring 28 substantially against movement relative to the frame in a direction paralleling the axis of the sleeve 14 and, by reason of the precompression of the spring, such restraint will continue to be applied regardless of slack or wear in the end mounting, thus enabling the shoes, through frictional engagement with the sleeve, to provide uniform resistance to relative lateral movement of the bolster and frame.

The second embodiment of FIGURE 6 also has metalto-metal contact between relatively movable parts at the end mountings but employs a single set 27 of friction shoes 17 which extend through the sleeve 14 and obtains the desired yieldable or resilient restraint against axial movement of the shoes 17 relative to the end brackets 22 by resilient means acting axially on the shoes and interposed between the shoes and one of the end brackets 22. In this embodiment, the shoes 17 act at one end against the confronting face or wall 23 of one of the end brackets 22 and at the other against a confronting face 31 carried by the other of the end brackets 22 but formed on an end disc or plate 32 having an integral outstanding substantially cylindrical stud 33 sliding in and extending through an opening 34 of corresponding configuration in the confronting wall of the associated of the end brackets, the opening 34 preferably being reinforced at either side of the wall 23 by an annular flange 35. Between the confronting faces of the end disc 32 and wall 23 of the end bracket 22 is interposed resilient means, preferably in the form of a rubber or like ring or pad 36, which is centered or held in position by the instanding of the reinforcing annular fiange 35 and is of sufficient thickness normally to space the disc 32 from that flange. The desired precompression of the rubber ring 36 readily is obtained by pin and slot means in the outer end portion of the stud 33 being provided with a transverse slot 37 for receiving, when the ring 36 is compressed to the desired extent, a precompression pin, indicated at 38, which is adapted to bear at either side of the stud against the outer end of the outstanding of the annular flanges 35 and correspondingly limit inward movement of the disc 32. Once the snubber of this embodiment is installed, the pin 38 will be removed so as to release the rubber ring 36 and enable the latter to act against the adjoining end bracket 22 and axially upon the shoes 17 through the interposed end disc 32.

Although effective in operation, the embodiments of FIGURES 4 and 6 would have the objection, when applied to passenger-carrying equipment, of metal-to-metal contact between relatively movable members at the end mountings, with consequent noise or squeaking on relative vertical movement of the bolster 9 and frame 3. Such noise is readily avoided by use of the embodiment of the snubber shown in FIGURE 8. In the latter embodiment, as in the second embodiment of FIGURE 6, only a single set 27 of friction shoes 17 is employed and the shoes ex ten-d through and frictionally engage the associated sleeve 14. However, unlike the shoes of the second embodiment, those of this third embodiment are cushioned at both ends by resilient means acting both to space or separate relatively movable metal parts and, through precompression, apply an axial force on the shoes to restrain them against axial movement relative to the end brackets 22 and take up any slack in the end mounting. The resilient means of this embodiment also perform the further function of floatingly mounting the snubber so as to permit shoes 17 to move with the sleeve 14 and relative to the end brackets 22 on relative movement of the bolster 9 and frame 3 in other than a lateral direction.

The above characteristics of the end mountings of the snnbber of the third embodiment are readily obtained by the use at each end of the friction shoes 17 of resilient means preferably in the form of a rubber or like ring or pad 39, sandwiched between and spacing or separating a pair of end discs or plates, the inner discs 40 of each pair being attached or connected to and movable with the friction shoes, while the outer disc 41 of each pair is attached or connected against movement to the adjacent of the end brackets 22. With each set 27 of shoes 17 of this and the other embodiments having a hollow interior 42 partly closed at one end and open at the other end and there reinforced by radially projecting annular feet 43, the desired connection of the inner and outer discs 40 and 41 to the shoes 17 and end brackets 22, respectively, conveniently is obtained by providing one of the discs of each pair with a cup or socket 44 and the other with an axially extending stud 45, the socketed discs receiving or mating, respectively, with an instanding boss 45 on one of the end brackets 22 and the partially closed of the ends 24 of the shoes 17. The other or stud-bearing of the discs 40 and 41 are, respectively, received in or mated with the hollow interior or central aperture 42 between the shoes 17 and an opening or socket 47 formed in the other of the end brackets 22. If desired, the rings 39 may be positioned or held in place by normally spaced positioning bosses 48 instanding towards each other from the confronting faces of the discs sandwiching each ring.

While especially suited for a snubber having a single set of friction shoes extending through its sleeve, such as that of the embodiment just described, a similar cushioned or resilient end mounting may be employed to adapt the opposed or plural shoe set snubber of FIGURE 4 to passenger car use. In any event, the snubbers of both FIG- URE 4 and FIGURE 7 are designed to be installed as a unit with their end brackets 22, so that, when installed, their axially acting resilient means, respectively, the coil spring 28 and the pair of rubber rings 36, will be precompressed to the desired extent. This may be accomplished by inserting the snubbers between the end brackets 22 and temporarily clamping or bolting the end brackets together with the force required to precompress the resilient means, the clamps or bolts (not shown), used for this purpose, being removed after installation.

From the above detailed description, it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved snubber which is effective in snubbing with uniform force relative movement of a pair of relatively movable members of a railway truck in a direction substantially axial of the snubber, without being affected in its snubbing action by relative movement of the members in other directions. It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included which do not depart from either the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a railway truck having a pair of relatively movable members, the combination of an open-ended sleeve secured to one of the members, friction shoe means in and urged radially into engagement with and projecting from opposite ends of said sleeve, spaced end brackets secured to said other member and straddling said shoe means, and resilient means acting axially of said sleeve on said shoe means for restraining movement thereof relative to said end brackets on relative movement of said members substantially axially of said sleeve.

2. In a railway truck having a pair of relatively movable members, the combination of an open-ended sleeve secured to one of the members, friction shoe means in and urged radially into engagement with and projecting from opposite ends of said sleeve, spaced end brackets secured to said other member and straddling said shoe means, and resilient means acting axially of said sleeve on said shoe means for restraining movement thereof relative to said end brackets on relative movement of said members SUllJ- stantially axially of said sleeve, said shoe means being movable with said sleeve means and relative to said brackets on relative movement of said members in another direction.

3. In a railway truck having a pair of relatively movaible members, the combination of an open-ended sleeve secured to one of the members, friction shoe means extending through and urged radially into engagement with and movable axially relative to said sleeve, spaced end brackets secured to said other member and straddling said shoe means, and resilient means interposed between said shoe means and at least one of said brackets and acting axially of said sleeve on said shoe means for restraining axial movement of said shoe means relative to said brackets.

4. In a railway truck having a pair of relatively movable members, the combination of an open-ended sleeve secured to one of the members, friction shoe means eX- tending through and urged radially into engagement with said sleeve, spaced end brackets secured to said other member and straddling said shoe means, and resilient means interposed between each end of said shoe means and the adjacent end of said brackets, said resilient means restraining movement of said shoe means relative to said brackets on relative movement of said members in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of said sleeve and being yieldable for movement of said shoe means with said sleeve on relative movement of said members in another direction.

5. In a railway truck having a pair of relatively movable members, the combination of an open-ended sleeve secured to one of the members, friction shoe means extending through and urged radially into engagement with said sleeve, spaced end brackets secured to said other member and straddling said shoe means, and a rubber ring interposed between each end of said shoe means and the adjacent of said brackets, said rubber rings restraining movement of said shoe means relative to said brackets on relative movement of said members in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of said sleeve and being yieldable for movement of said shoe means with said sleeve on relative movement of said members in another direction.

6. In a railway truck having a pair of relatively movable members, the combination of an open-ended sleeve secured to one of the members, a plurality of friction shoes extending through said sleeve, spring means acting radially on said shoes for urging said shoes. into frictional engagement with said sleeve, end brackets secured to said other member and straddling outer ends of said shoes, rubber means interposed between each of said ends and a confronting wall of one of said brackets, and a pair of discs sandwiching each of and connecting said rubber means to said end brackets and shoes, said rubber means acting axially of said sleeve on said shoes for restraining movement thereof relative to said brackets in a direction substantially parallel to said sleeve and being yieldable for movement of said shoes in a direction substantially normal to said sleeve.

7. In a railway truck having a pair of relatively movable members, the combination of an open-ended sleeve secured to one of the members, a plurality of friction shoes extending through and urged radially into frictional engagement with said sleeve, a pair of end brackets secured to said other member and straddling outer ends of said shoes, said shoes having end engagement with one of said brackets, a disc carried by the other bracket and engaging the confronting ends of said shoes, a stud integral with and outstanding from said disc and extending through an opening in the related bracket, rubber means interposed between and normally spacing said disc and related bracket, and pin and slot means for limiting inward movement of said disc relative to the related bracket and precompressing said rubber means therebetween during installation of said snubber, said rubber means on release of said limiting means acting axially of said sleeve on said shoes through said disc for restraining movement of said shoes relative to said brackets in a direction axially of said sleeve.

8. In a railway truck having a pair of relatively movable members, the combination of an open-ended sleeve secured to one of the members, a plurailty of friction shoes extending through and urged radially into frictional engagement with said sleeve, a pair of end brackets secured to said other member and straddling outer ends of said shoes, said shoes having end engagement with one of said brackets, a disc carried by the other bracket and engaging the confronting ends of said shoes, a stud integral with and outstanding from said disc and extending through an opening in said other bracket, rubber means interposed between and normally spacing said disc and other bracket, said stud having a transverse slot in an outer portion thereof, and a pin receivable in said slot and straddling an outer end of said opening for limiting inward movement of said disc relative to the related bracket and compressing said rubber means therebetween during installation, said rubber means on removal of said pin acting axially of said sleeve on said shoes through said disc for restraining movement of said shoes relative to said brackets in a direction axially of said sleeve.

9. In a railway truck having a pair of relatively movable members, the combination of an open-ended sleeve secured to open of the members, a plurality of sets of friction shoes extending from opposite ends into and frictionally engaging said sleeve, spaced end brackets secured to said other member and each engaged by an outer end of one of said sets, and resilient means interposed between and acting on inner ends of said sets for urging said outer ends into said engagement with said brackets and restraining movement of said shoes relative to said brackets in a direction axially of said sleeve.

10. In a railway truck having a pair of relatively movable members, the combination of an open-ended sleeve secured to one of the members, a plurality of sets of friction shoes extending from opposite ends into and frictionally engaging said sleeve, spaced end brackets secured to the other member and each having a substantially fiat face engaged by outer ends of shoes of one of said sets, and a coil spring within said sleeve and interposed between and acting oppositely on inner ends of said sets for restraining movement of said shoes relative to said end brackets in a direction axially of said sleeve.

11. In a railway truck having a pair of relatively movable members, the combination of an open-ended sleeve secured to one of the members, a plurality of sets of friction shoes extending from opposite ends into and frictionally engaging said sleeve, resilient means acting radially on the shoes of each set for urging said shoes into fric tional engagement with said sleeve, spaced end brackets secured to said other member and each engaged by an outer end of one of said sets, and resilient means interposed between and acting on inner ends of said sets for urging said outer ends into said engagement with said brackets and restraining movement of said shoes relative to said brackets in a direction axially of said sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,016,073 Kiesel Jan. 30, 1912 1,130,665 Bullock Mar. 2, 1915 1,646,433 Tomlinson Oct. 25, 1927 2,080,180 Messier May 11, 1937 2,405,398 Buckwalter Aug. 6, 1946 2,481,006 Dath Sept. 6, 1949 2,562,595 Blue July 31, 1951 2,710,750 Blattner June 14, 1955 2,746,744 Blattner May 22, 1956 2,747,696 Blattner May 29, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 465,995 Canada June 20, 1950 693,984 Great Britain July 8, 1953 OTHER REFERENCES A Report to the Railroads of America, by Chrysler Corporation, December 15, 1950, page 9. 

